Palace to Iloilo mayor Mabilog: Rule of law prevails in PHL

Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is assured of his safety when he comes back to the Philippines, Malacañang has said.

“Of course. The President… This is a pretty democratic country, as far as the… As far as evidence shows, we—rule of law prevails,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Mabilog is currently abroad on sick leave to undergo treatment for his diabetes.

Panay News on Tuesday reported that the mayor also filed a 30-day extension of his sick leave on September 29.

“That we need to refer to the Office of the Executive Secretary to find out their opinion regarding the matter,” Abella said.

Panay News also quoted Mabilog's wife Maria Victoria as saying that he was not yet coming home due to a "present threat, veiled or otherwise."

President Rodrigo Duterte revealed last year that Mabilog was on his "narco-list" of politicians involved in the illegal drug trade. Last August, Duterte told the Iloilo mayor to cut his links to illegal drugs.

Mabilog has denied Duterte's accusations.

In August, Duterte announced that Ozamiz City police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido would be reassigned to Iloilo City.

Espenido had been police chief of Albuera, Leyte, when its mayor Rolando Espinosa was shot to death by police officers while in jail. On Espenido's next posting, to Ozamiz City, its mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and several of his family members were shot dead during a police raid on their homes.

Malacanang denied that it was targeting Mabilog in transferring Espenido, but Espenido's move to Iloilo was later cancelled. — BM, GMA News